Saturday, June 25, 2016

Brexit and the EU: Keeping the Peace

We so quickly forget that the purpose of the European Union was not to promote the economic interests of countries whose names begin in G and end with Y, nor to raise Northern European values over Southern. The point of the European Union was to make and keep peace.

The EU is not keeping the peace, not even trying hard. If they were trying, the ECB would be forgiving Greece's debt, while urging Britain to reconsider. In the long term, to keep the peace, the EU would be promoting Keynesian macroeconomic policies intended to reduce income inequality, and taking in the Syrian refugees, both because the alternative is too horrible to contemplate and because shutting them out will breed future conflict.

I would like to see a return to the internationalism that the EU was founded on. The business of the EU is not promoting the interests and ideology of Germany and, to a lesser extent, France. It is to make peace and create and maintain prosperity in Europe.

4 comments:

The fat lady has not yet sung. Everyone is jumping the gun on this. The referendum is not legally binding, though morally and ethically, maybe. There will have to be an election this fall, with new leaders in both Conservatives and (likely) Labour. The Liberals have already said they will campaign on Remain. Then and only then will the government, which ever parties or coalitions, decide what to do. My guess is that it will be between UKIP and the Liberals (but I know for nothing-if Palin can have an opinion, so can I).What troubles me most is that the xenophobic racist bigots have taken the win as license to attack anyone that does not look British enough.

(Corrected version, duh.) True. It seemed initially that Cameron would notify the EU that Britain was invoking Article 50 on the heels of the vote and he has resigned instead. So now there is a period of confusion. It looks like Corbyn is going to survive as Labour leader, the SNP is in play, and who knows what will be done. The choice of Tory leadership is appalling (Gove vs. May? Who ordered that?) But the situation is fragile, and public panic, perhaps acts of terrorism, could easily take Britain out of the EU.